


A Preference for Purple

by LacyFairgold



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A Preference for Purple, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Complete, Eventual Keith/Lance (Voltron), Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Galra Keith, Galra Lance (Voltron), Galra Lance AU, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Pre Season 3, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut, Voltron au, alternative universe, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-10-14 17:24:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10541091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LacyFairgold/pseuds/LacyFairgold
Summary: In a world where the red lion was discovered on Earth and brought with it four human paladins, the blue lion bringing its paladin to the castle all by itself would be a good thing right?Unless its pilot was Galra.AKA: The Voltron AU where Lance was born Galra and has to work hard to find his place in Voltron and in Keith’s heart. A very Klance oriented fic with enough hurt/comfort, romance, smut and fluff to make even the most hardcore Klance shipper swoon.





	1. The Blue Paladin

The blue lion was missing. 

Out of all the things to go wrong already, they had to lose the only lion that lacked a pilot. 

Coran was borderline panicking as he tried to figure out exactly how the lion had apparently managed to let itself out of the castle and gone so far out of tracking range in such a short period of time. 

The four pilots of Voltron traded theories as the Princess aided Coran in his search. 

“The lions are semi-sentient right?” Shiro asked the searching pair. 

Allura nodded and looked up from her screen momentarily. 

“That’s a good way to describe it. The lions are part magic, part science, and part alive. They are naturally compelled to seek out their pilots, just as Keith’s was to him on Earth. From there they are compelled to come together so that Voltron can be formed.” 

Pidge raised her hand. 

“Maybe this is a good thing then? I mean if the blue lion went out to find its pilot it’ll come back once it has right? We couldn’t have expected all the pilots to be human right?”

The other three traded looks. 

“That would make sense.” Shiro conceded after a pause. “But we still need to make sure that we find the blue lion in case it runs into any trouble.” 

The group nodded and were just beginning to organize a plan for starting a search when Coran let out a shriek. 

“Blue lion dead ahead! It’s coming at us like a Jelaen Prima Beast in heat!” 

Hunk cowered behind his seat in the control room before peeking around its edges. 

“What if it’s been capture? What if the Galra are inside it? What if it’s possessed!?” He shrieked. 

Shrio laid a hand on his shoulder. 

“Calm down Hunk. For all we know it’s just the new pilot of Voltron arriving. The blue lion wouldn’t let itself by piloted by anyone else. Right Princess?” 

Allura nodded. 

“That’s right. The lions can only be piloted by their Paladins. Whoever’s in there, they’re the pilot of the blue lion. They’re one of us.”   
______________________________________________________

When the team eventually got down to the blue lion’s hanger and saw who the pilot was, they all wished that that wasn’t the case. 

Because beneath the protective form of the blue lion and clad in a variety of violets was a Galran soldier. 

Their species was unmistakable and so was their stiff fighting stance. 

“Okay, I don’t know why you people kidnapped me from my base or why you felt it necessary to use a gigantic blue lion to do so, but don’t think for a second that I’d about to let you kill me without a fight.” They screamed shrilly. 

All of the paladins raised their bayards as Shiro took a step closer to the captive with his hand flared for battle. 

Instantly the blue lion crouched protectively over the solider and let out a roar that sent them all skittering back. 

By the time they were all back on their feet the solider was looking up instead of at them. 

“What do you mean they aren’t going to hurt me?! They’re arming themselves right in front of me! That one’s arm is literally glowing!” The soldier insisted. 

Unable to restrain her curiosity Pidge asked loudly: “You can hear the lion?” 

The solider stiffened and turned to face them again. 

“What, you can’t?” He asked with suspicious curiosity. 

Allura stepped forward even as Shiro moved to stop her.

“He’s Galran.” Shiro hissed. 

Allura returned his stare without flinching. 

“If he can hear the Blue lion he’s more than that. He’s a paladin.” 

The Galaran waved his hand for attention. 

“Hello, I’m right here! How am I hearing a giant robot talk that apparently you can’t and why are you calling me that?” 

Keith stepped forward and activated his sword. 

“We should have this discussion after he’s been secured.” He insisted. 

The Galaran removed his helmet and revealed large cat like ears and glowing yellow eyes. 

Eyes that immediately looked up and down Keith’s frame and smirked. 

“Hmmmm I don’t think I’d mind that too much if you were the one doing the securing Hot Stuff.” 

Keith flushed even as he scowled and raised his sword threateningly. 

“Just say the word Shiro.” He all but growled. 

Allura took another step forward and interceded. 

“Paladins, the species of the pilot is inconsequential. If he can hear the mind of the blue lion, he is indeed a part of us, and not a prisoner.” 

The Galra huffed, but loosened his stance a little. 

“Again with the referring to me like I’m not here.” He grumbled to himself. 

A moment later his ear twitched and he looked back up at the blue lion. 

“These are the Paladins of Voltron? Thee paladins of Voltron?!” 

Instantly the Galra looked panicked. 

“Shit, shit, shit. I can’t be here! If anyone in high command found out I’m here they’ll wring my neck! I’ll be charged with treason! I’ll never get to be a pilot!” 

As the Galra continued to flail around and just generally panic Hunk turned to Pidge and whispered: “If he wasn’t like our sworn enemy and everything, I’d think this guy was kind of funny.” 

Pidge adjusted her glasses and peered up at the Galra. 

“It looks like he’s gonna work himself into some kind of fit. Should we do something?” 

“Like put him in a cryopod until he’s useful.” Keith added snidely. 

The Galran stilled at that. “Hey, I heard that Hot Stuff!” 

This time Keith really did growl. 

“You call me Hot Stuff one more time and I swear I’m going to-”

“Keith!” Allura cut him off before he could finish his threat. 

The red paladin crossed his arms and continued to glare at the Galra who just beamed back at him in response. 

“Keith huh? That’s an unusual name, but it could grow on me.” He muttered mostly to himself. 

Keith merely simmered where he stood. 

Shiro looked between the rest of the group and the Galra before he offered his own question. 

“And what should we call you?” He asked evenly. 

The Galra stood straighter and met Shiro’s gaze. 

“I’m Lance. First born of Anothon and leader of the Theotorian moon base. Care to explain to me why you decided to kidnap me of all people? I mean, I’m awesome and all, but I don’t exactly have a lot of influence in the empire and the Galra don’t do ransoms.” 

Allura stood with all her princessly prowess and gestured to herself and the others. 

“I am Princess Allura and these are the Paladins of Voltron. The blue lion sough you out because you are it’s paladin. You are a member of Voltron. A guardian of the Universe.” 

Lance froze at that. 

“You think I’m a paladin of Voltron?” He asked in a brittle voice. 

Allura nodded solemnly. “You can hear the voice of the blue lion. You are the only one in the entire universe with that gift. We cannot form Voltron without you.” 

Lance’s ears twitched once more as he listened to his lion again. 

“I’m Galra.” He protested weakly to both it and them. 

Allura answered his unspoken question. 

“There must be some part of you that knows that Zarkon’s mission is wrong. That the enslavement and destruction of worlds is an evil act. The pilot of the blue lion is known for their adaptability and compassion. If you have served as a soldier of Zarkon, you have undoubtedly stood witness to tragedies and felt more deeply than those around you ever could about them. You were chosen for a reason. There can be no Voltron without you. No hope for change.” 

Lance’s ears were all the way down when he finally answered. 

“Even if I was what you think I am, to join with you. To help you. It would mean going against my entire race. I could never go home. I could never see my family again. I’d lose everything.”

Allura actually looked like she pitied him in that moment. 

“We are defined by the choices we make when the costs are at their highest.” She quoted softly. 

Lance looked at the ground, his ears still pressed as far down as they seemed able to go, before turning his gaze back up to the blue lion. Clearly an unheard conversation was being had and the other paladins could only stand by and watch as a barrage of emotions flashed across Lance’s face. Sorrow, grief, anger, disbelief, and finally it settled on being resigned. 

When his gaze finally landed on them again, it looked immensely tired. 

“I’m Galran and I’m the blue paladin. I won’t give up one to be the other. Can you all handle that?” 

Allura nodded her head into an almost bow before she turned to face the paladins. 

“Unity between paladins is the only way that Voltron can be formed. I don’t expect it will be a quick or easy process, but we have time.” 

Weapons were put aside as the other paladins nodded their assent. Even Keith loosened his stance and settled for merely crossing his arms across his chest. 

Lance stepped forward until he was half behind the right front paw of his lion and placed all of his weight against it. 

“If you don’t mind, I could really use some time to think.” 

Allura nodded her assent eagerly. 

“Of course, you must be exhausted, I can show you to your room-”

Lance cut her off. 

“If it’s all the same to you I think I’d rather stay here. Close to my lion.” 

The princess deflated a bit at that, but nodded slowly. 

“What ever makes you more comfortable. We can bring you blankets, pillows, food or anything else to make you feel more at ease. I’m not entirely certain, but I believe that the pilot’s chair can be reclined and arranged into a cot.” 

“It can.” Keith threw in with much more confidence. 

Lance’s eyes turned to him and even as weary as he seemed to be he couldn’t stop his flirting. 

“Well if you feel like coming inside with me and showing my how I certainly wouldn’t be opposed.” He offered with a wink. 

Keith flushed even as he rolled his eyes and Pidge couldn’t hold back a snicker behind him. 

“Yeah Keith, maybe you should show him how the bed works.” 

Again, before Keith could threaten anyone, the princess cut in. 

“That’s a wonderful idea Pidge. Why don’t you gather some bedding while Hunk prepares a meal for our guest? Keith can help prepare Lance’s cot.” 

Keith opened his mouth to protest, but a stern look from Shiro stopped him. 

“Fine.” He growled as he stormed past the motionless Galra and into the awaiting mouth of the blue lion. The rest of the paladins dispersed as Shiro and Alteans went off to discuss this new development and the others went to complete their assigned tasks. 

Finally only Lance was left with his lion and Keith awaiting him within it. 

“I’m scared Blue.” Lance muttered so softly that no one but his lion could have possibly heard him. 

He could feel the mental purr of the metal masterpiece above him and the quiet reassurances of his lion’s warmth in his mind. 

“It may not seem like it now, but this will be home. They will be family. Together we shall be a strong Pride.” 

The Galra unwound a little at that as his gaze turned upwards again. 

“And the red one? Keith?” He questioned softly. 

“He will resist you; it is his nature.” Blue confirmed just as gently. 

“But his trust, once earned, will be worth it and more.” She promised. 

Lance kept his gaze aimed up as he offered his first true smile since he’d arrived at the Castle of Lions. 

“I had a feeling that was the case.” He assured her before following after the red robed teen that had so captured his attention


	2. Antha

Needless to say it was awkward when the morning arrived and breakfast was served. After being offered all the hospitality of the castle the night before the rest of the paladins had quickly departed from the blue lion and left their newest addition alone to his own thoughts. 

They were all overly tense as Lance took a seat among them on the farthest end of the long table and began poking at his food goo. 

“Did you sleep well?” Allura finally asked after a long pause. 

Lance started at that, but was quick to answer. 

“Yes, thank you. The blankets were warm and the food was delicious. Way better than anything at my base.” 

“If you feel comfortable with the idea we’ve arranged for quarters to be prepared for you. The beds in the castle are of a very high quality and the rooms are stocked with basic supplies and an attached bathroom.” 

Lance’s ears perked a bit at that. 

“I could use a bath or a shower if that’s okay. Fur maintenance you know?” He tried to joke. 

Allura let out a somewhat strained chuckle. 

“Yes, I can imagine it’s a hassle in space.” She commented dryly. 

An awkward pause filled the room as the occupants of the table took turns peeking at each other out of the corner of the their eyes. 

Finally Lance broke it. 

“I haven’t been out of my home quadrant much, but I’m not familiar with either of your species. Are you an endangered race?” 

The air grew thicker at the question. 

After an even longer pause Allura offered her answer. 

“Coran my advisor and I are the last known Alteans in the universe. Zarkon destroyed our home world a very long time ago. The rest of the paladins hail from a planet called Earth, a world untouched by Zarkon’s forces.” 

Lance looked down and away from them. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” He muttered softly. 

“It was long before your time.” Allura assured him. 

Lance didn’t seem to feel any better about that fact and they all sat in silence for a long moment after. 

Finally Lance reached into his suit and pulled out a tiny device. He placed it on the table with deliberate slowness before pressing the one button visible on it. 

A holographic photo flickered into existence with a technology not dissimilar to that which had kept the Altean king’s memories intact. 

Within it a dozen or so Galra stood together in a way that none of those in the castle had seen them gather before. 

The photo was clearly that of a family portrait and three or more generations seemed to make up its contents. 

A slightly younger Lane stood in the middle, bright and beaming at the photographer. 

Clearly it was his family surrounding him and the way that that stood together seemed to indicate that they were close. 

Lance confirmed it a moment later as he began speaking in a soft and solemn voice. 

“This was my family when we were whole. Our line was strong. We were workers, fighters, even druids. We were rewarded for this strength.” 

Lance’s ears dropped down as he continued. 

“Zarkon was our ruler. We believed that everything he did was for the good of his people and the universe. We had always believed that.” 

Lance reached out until his fingers were skimming over the image of the youngest Galran girl in the frame. 

“Until Antha was born. Beautiful and bubbly. Clever and cute. A blessing to our family.” 

Lance’s voice cracked at the end, but he pressed on. 

“But not a worker or a fighter. Not even a druid.”

A tear fell from his eye. 

“We couldn’t make her strong enough and when it came time to thin the weaklings from the population, she didn’t stand a chance.”

His hands were fists on the table. 

“I know what the universe thinks of us. I know they view us as monsters. But I didn’t agree with them until they took her away and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.” 

He pressed the button on the device again and the image of the lost child and family vanished. 

“I have had to serve in Zarkon’s army since I came of age. I had to for the sake of myself and my family. But I do not have to be the blue paladin.” 

He placed the device back into his suit and met each of the paladin’s gazes one by one. 

“I talked a lot to Blue last night. About what choosing to side with you would mean. And I came to the conclusion that this might be the only thing I can do to ever come close to making up for letting my sister die.” 

His gaze fell back to the table. 

“But I meant what I said yesterday. I’m Galra and I’m not ashamed of that. I’m only guilty of my own choices and not those of Zarkon. I won’t stay if you can’t understand that.” 

He looked up from the table and flashed a half smile at Keith. 

“Not even if the red ones the cutest boy this side of the Quetain quadrant.” 

Keith’s face flared red and the tension in the room dissipated a little. 

Shiro stood up from his seat and spoke first. 

“We appreciate you sharing that with us Lance. We know that this isn’t an easy transition and you have my word as team leader that we’ll do whatever we can to make sure that you don’t feel like an outsider here. You’re a paladin and that means together we’re going to be part of something amazing.” 

Shiro leaned forward to place his human hand on Lance’s shoulder and the Galra accepted the comforting touch without flinching. 

He seemed shyer now that his story was over and quickly sat back down on his seat. 

“Perhaps this might be a good opportunity to share something about ourselves with Lance.” Allura added encouragingly. 

“Might make a good bonding exercise.” Coran threw in.

Each of the paladins looked at each other for an awkward moment before Shiro once again stepped up. 

He talked about Kerberos, his enslavement, and escape. 

Spurred on by his disclosure Pidge stepped up next. 

She spoke about her family, sneaking into the Garrison, and her dreams of being reunited with her father and brother. 

Hunk followed with tales of home and his love of food. 

Until only Keith remained. 

Lance, who had listened with rapt attention to the earlier tales, seemed to grow even more excited at the prospect of learning more about his favorite paladin. 

Keith sunk lower into his chair at the attention. 

“I don’t really have anything to talk about.” Keith muttered to the floor. 

Hunk elbowed him playfully. 

“Tell him about how you sensed your lion on Earth and brought us all together when you went to rescue Shiro.” He prompted helpfully. 

Keith just crossed his arms tighter over his chest and glared at the floor. 

Lance took pity on him and waved Hunk off. 

“Don’t worry Hunk. I’m sure once we get closer Keith will want to tell me all his heroic stories……….. In private of course.” He added teasingly. 

Keith looked up to glare at him for a few minutes before being too embarrassed by Lance’s sultry gaze to maintain eye contact. 

Everyone at the table laughed at that and the exercise served its purpose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is my official Galra Lance back story chapter. It's probably the least Klancy of them all, so look forward to an overflow of it from here. (Non-Klance shippers are officially being warned here). In case you haven't guessed this already, this fic is going to be very long. Like, roughly 20K long. So be prepared.
> 
> PS: I love reviews that give genuine feedback. What did you like? What could I work on? (Please PM if you want to point out a spelling mistake so I can fix it without seeing a review saying I need to fix it and always having to go back and check to make sure I did).
> 
> Yours truly,
> 
> Lacy Fairgold


	3. Hot Stuff

Things got easier after that first tension breaking breakfast and Lance found ways to bond with each of the other paladins in the weeks that followed. 

He and Hunk shared a love of food and gathering indigenous plant life in order to spice up their meals. (Even if Galra tastes and human tastes tended to vary rather drastically in some areas.) 

Pidge found him endlessly useful for translating Galra text and helping her decoding programming with some of the more difficult phrasing. He was even teaching her to speak it a bit. (Even if he said her accent was atrocious). 

It was harder with Shiro, even as much as he tried to hide it. He’d suffered at the hands of captors that looked so much like Lance that at times his PTSD made it nearly impossible for him to be comfortable even being in the same room as him. Slowly but surely however Lance’s existence seemed to be helping Shiro become desensitized to his presence. (Especially since Lance was pretty much just a giant cat at heart and was so cuddly it was impossible to not like him). 

Keith on the other hand was another matter entirely. 

His weariness of Lance and his intentions was obvious and Lance was initially at a loss as to how to bridge the gap between them. 

All Keith seemed to do was to eat, train, and sleep. They all ate together as a rule and as much as he’d love to win his way into Keith’s bed, that didn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon. 

So that left training and Lance had a good idea as to how to get Keith to train with him. 

It didn’t take long for Lance to track down the Red Paladin in the training hall or for him to decide that it was his best idea ever. 

If only because watching Keith spar with the android was a level of hot that he had yet to encounter in his short life. 

He’d seen other Galran fight a million times in battle and training, but never like Keith. He’d never seen such fluidity and natural talent in combat before. He’d never seen someone make fighting look like some kind of instinctively intricate art. 

He was so struck by the sight that he didn’t even see Keith chuck his sword through the android until the blade kept going and landed in the wall next to his head. 

Lance jumped at the unexpected action before freezing at the sight of Keith wiping sweat off his face with a loose bandana. How he managed to make that simple action look damn near pornographic Lance couldn’t even begin to explain; nor did he have the time too. 

By the time the Galra had dragged his gaze off the sweat dripping down the other teen’s neck Keith was already tugging his sword free of the wall and glaring at him. 

“Do you need something?” He asked with forced neutrality. 

Lance blushed and barely bit back his first response of ‘You’. 

Instead he ran a hand through the fur on the back of his neck and tried to return to his normally cocky attitude. 

“I thought you might like a real opponent. One who isn’t preprogrammed.” 

Keith gave him a level look before trailing his gaze down to the bayard at Lance’s side. 

“I thought your bayard only took the form of a gun, not a sword.” 

Lance smirked and swung his hips a little in hopes of keeping Keith’s eyes on him. 

If the motion affected the indigo eyed teen he didn’t show it. 

He merely returned his bayard to it’s original form and crossed his arms over his chest; his eyebrow quirked at a questioning angle. 

Lance barely fought back a vibrant violet blush as those eyes seemed to stare straight through him. 

It took everything in him to keep his voice level as he responded. 

“All Galra are trained at a young age to fight. Usually just basic hand to hand that they’re expected to adapt to best fit their own style. I’m sure those androids know Altean fighting styles as good any Altean, but I doubt that they would last long in a fight with a real Galra that’s been trained in the last century.” 

Lance winked even as he took a fighting stance. 

“I was trained more in marksmanship than anything else, but I was still the best fighter at my base. It might do you some good to fight some real Galra rather than just practice with these guys.” 

Keith still didn’t look entirely convinced, so Lance used his secret weapon. 

“I mean, if you’re not too scared to face a real opponent…..” He teased. 

Keith stiffened at the challenge and took his own fighting stance. 

A teasing smirk decorated his own face as he took a step closer. 

“Bring it Blue Boy.”  
\-----------------  
It was all over surprisingly quickly. 

Keith had barely gotten his arms around Lance’s waist for the second time in 10 minutes before the taller teen was using his own momentum against him to flip him onto his back. The red paladin scarcely had time to catch his breath from the impact before Lance’s weight was pinning him down and his hands were trapped above him in the Galra’s grasp. 

The blue paladin was so close that Keith would catch the slight shimmer of a violet blush blossoming beneath his fur and feel the coarseness of it against his skin where his shirt had ridden up. 

They stared at each other a moment before Lance leaned in just a breath closer and muttered into Keith’s much smaller ear. 

“What do you think Hot Stuff? Am I a worthy opponent?” 

Keith growled lowly and barely resisted taking a bite out of the other teen’s exposed throat. 

Lance released him before he had a chance and rolled over so that they were both on their backs and looking at the ceiling. 

“I could teach you everything I learned in training.” He offered in a softer voice. 

He turned on his side and looked at the red paladin’s profile. 

“And you can teach me how Earthlings fight.” He added with much more hesitation. 

Keith didn’t look at him, just continued to glare up at the ceiling. 

Finally the younger male sat up abruptly and reached for his bayard. 

Lance didn’t allow any part of his body to move other than his eyes; if only because they refused to stop following after the other teen. 

Said teen didn’t turn to face him as he grabbed his jacket off a hook on the wall and walked towards the door. He’d gotten as far as the doorway before Lance’s ears twitched. 

“We’ve got dinner in ten. Then I do my laps around the castle before bed. I can meet you here at nine tomorrow morning for more…Training.”

Lance immediately jumped up and rushed over to the pale teen with a beaming smile on his face. 

“Works for me Hot St-”

Lance didn’t get to finish as Keith pined him by his neck with his forearm against the nearest wall. 

“But the next time you call me Hot Stuff I’m going to make sure you can’t talk for a month.” He hissed threateningly. 

Lance nodded as much as his position would allow until Keith had completely pulled away. 

His took a gasping breath as Keith continued to smirk at him. 

“We’re going to be late for dinner.” He added offhandedly as he began heading towards the dining hall. 

Lance blinked slowly in surprise before following after the shorter teen. 

“Wait for me!” He shrieked as he followed after the one thing in the universe he was happy to chase.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know Lance isn’t going to be deterred that easily. LOL. Also, since a couple people have asked already, Keith’s status as a human/Galra/anything else is a surprise. I won’t say that he is or that he isn’t Galra yet. To make up for, I will tell you that the next chapter will be twice as long and contain kissing.
> 
> PS: I love reviews that give genuine feedback. What did you like? What could I work on? Reviews full of hate without reason will be ignored.
> 
> Yours truly,
> 
> Lacy Fairgold


	4. Kialto

The paladins trained and bonded during the weeks that followed and Allura had hoped to have them attempt to form Voltron at the end of their first long month in space, but circumstances derailed that plan. 

Their hiding place became compromised and they were forced to take to their lions to defend the castle. 

Galra ships surrounded them and Voltron was the only option. They didn’t have time to think, let alone doubt, and despite every worry they might have had up until that moment they did it. 

They formed Voltron without even the slightest hint of a problem and after an exhaustive battle they managed to secure the castle and return to its depths with only the fatigue that occurred after an adrenaline rush to complain about. 

Even as tired as they were, they still had enough energy celebrate in their own way. Hunk was set on making sure that they were all pulled into a group hug the moment they’d departed from their lions and Shiro was set on making sure that everyone got their shoulder squeezed at least once before they retired for the night. 

Pidge endured it was a grimace before rushing off to continue the search for the rest of the Holt clan. 

Until finally only Keith and Lance remained in the small living room like area that the paladins had discovered early into their stay in the castle. 

Lance because the sight of Keith so pleased with himself and the rest of them was a sight to behold and Keith because he wasn’t sure if his fellow paladin had the energy to make it back to his room before he passed out. 

“You should go to bed, you look like you’re gonna fall asleep sitting up.” Keith chided him softly, noting the other teen’s dropping eyelids. 

Lance smiled and scooted a little closer to Keith’s portion of the couch. 

“And miss the chance to spend more one on one time with my favorite paladin? Never.” He flirted around a yawn. 

Keith rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything.

He never would have admitted it out loud, but it was oddly endearing to see Lance like this, loose limbed and satisfied down to his bone with what they had accomplished that day. It made something that was normally wound so tight inside him loosen and relax. 

“You’ll regret it during training tomorrow.” Keith added in an even softer tone than before. 

Lance just nodded his head in a way that looked more absent than intentional.

Keith would have commented on it as a means of getting Lance to actually go to his room to rest, but something stopped him. 

It was the soft sound of Lance’s breathing and the way his head lulled softly to the side in a way that it hadn’t a moment before. 

The blue Paladin had fallen asleep just like that; too tired to even stay awake and flirt with the violet eyed teen. 

Keith chuckled lowly at the sight and reached out to pull the purple teen to his side. Lance’s head landed perfectly on his shoulder and Keith barely had to turn his head to get a whiff of the fruity concoction that the Galra had created from scratch to keep his fine coating of fur ‘silky smooth’. 

The entire situation made him smile. 

He knew how much effort Lance had put into making bonds with the human paladins of Voltron. How much of himself he was offering to them in hopes of changing their opinions of the Galra being an evil species. It couldn’t have been half as easy as the purple teen made it appear to be. 

“We were only able to form Voltron because of you.” Keith breathed in approval; careful to keep his words low and his touch gentle. 

He let himself relax into the couch as Lance arranged himself more comfortably in his sleep to lay completely on the red paladin’s side. 

Then, just when Keith was a blink away from sleep himself, he heard the quiet rumble of a purr bubbling up from the Galra beside him. 

The sound made him chuckle even as he fell asleep; and it managed to keep the nightmares away for the rest of the night. 

When he awoke the lights were still at their dimmest setting and Lance was still there, lying alongside him and pressing him into the backing of the couch in a scorching embrace that Keith could feel down to his marrow. His face was pressed just as tightly into the red paladin’s neck and Keith could feel the tips of his claws in the dip of his back as another set of legs tangled up with his own. He felt warm and sluggish in a way he hadn’t felt since he was a child and had thought the world around him was a safe place. 

To feel that way now, wrapped in the arms of someone who looked like his enemy, but was really his ally, seemed ironic. It made him smile even as he snuggled a little closer to his teammate…his friend…..his something else too. 

It was impossible to be oblivious to Lance’s interest in him, something that had been evident since before the Galra had even known his name, but Keith had spent a large portion of the time since the blue paladin had arrived pretending to be unaware of it. 

Sure there had been those at the Garrison that had expressed interest in him over the years, but none had lasted long in the face of his inability to reciprocate. In his inability to let his guard down enough to let others in. 

Things were different now, they had to be. He was a part of a team. A part of something bigger than himself. He’d found the purpose that he’d spent his whole life till then looking for. 

Maybe………..this could be different now too. 

With that in mind Keith let his free hand trail lightly down the furred face in front of him and only blushed lightly when the other teen unconsciously leaned into his touch. 

The stillness of the hour made him contemplative and it seemed that all he could think about was the one person he’d tried so desperately not to dwell on since their adventure began. 

Lance was just so vibrant, so upbeat and an all around sweet guy beneath all his brazen behavior and Keith couldn’t say his eyes hadn’t lingered on his purple teammate during training longer than they ever had on anyone else. 

He both hated and loved Lance’s flirting in equal measure most of the time. Mostly because he liked the attention in his own awkward way, but he hated never knowing how to respond. He’d always been more skilled with fighting than flirting and having it thrown in his face whilst in the middle of a war was a less than pleasant feeling. 

Before Keith could ponder on the matter further Lance became restless against him and the claws on his back dug in a little deeper at base of his spine. Tripwires that Keith hadn’t even known existed a moment before went off in his mind as his body responded to the touch. The arching of his back at the contact only pressed the other paladin’s upper torso closer and ended up bringing his face directly against Keith’s neck at an angle where Keith could feel the other teen’s fangs press against his flesh. 

The shudder that passed through him in that moment felt better than anything he’d ever been able to induce by himself and Lance hadn’t even consciously tried to cause it.

The sudden desire to awaken the Galra next to him by simply dragging the other teen on top of him was as shocking as it was powerful. He’d never responded so powerfully to anyone before, not even to boys he’d halfheartedly dated in the past. 

But in that moment he felt wanted and desirable in a way that was both new and addictive. 

“Lance.” He breathed between them. 

The Galra beside him stirred slowly and began blinking against the faint light. His eyes stayed lidded as they took in the sight of Keith before him, flushed and panting from their embrace. 

His smile was soft and sleepy as he leaned centimeters closer to place a feathery kiss to the human’s neck. Keith stilled at the touch as the other boy shifted them closer together again and coated his neck with a series of lingering kisses. 

All Keith could do was clutch at the back of Lance’s top and tangle his fingers into indigo hair as the kisses slowed to the point of being agonizingly gentle. 

When Lance was done one of his hands found their way into the raven’s hair and carefully guided Keith’s gaze down to his. 

“Kialto.” He all but purred before muttering something even softer in his native Galra. 

Keith didn’t have a clue as to how to respond, so he merely allowed the other boy to tangle them even closer together again and press him even deeper into the back of the couch. 

His face was gently directed into the other teen’s neck as claw tipped hands resettled themselves at the base of his spine. 

The last thing Lance did before slipping back into sleep was place a lingering kiss to Keith’s forehead and mutter a variation of his earlier sentence. 

The red paladin stayed awake only a little while longer as his teammate’s breathing lulled him back to sleep. A sleep filled with dreams of light and lingering kisses beneath the dim glow of the castle’s artificial dawn. 

When Lance fully awoke later in the morning he was wrapped up in a large woolly blanket with the lingering taste of something delicious on his lips and the faintest memory of a delightful dream on his mind. 

He never even noticed that the other side of where he was sleeping was warmer than it should had been if he’d spent the night alone.   
\---------------  
Keith was already hunting down Pidge for help in deciphering what exactly the Galra had said to him in his sleepy state. 

When he eventually tracked down the green paladin she was typing away on her laptop like usual and Keith didn’t give himself time to dwell on his nervousness before asking her to translate exactly what Lance had said to him. 

She blinked behind her large spectacles before flashing a Cheshire grin. 

“I had a feeling leaving you two alone together last night was a good idea.” She boasted smugly. 

Keith felt his face flush with embarrassment as he growled back his response. 

“What. Did. He. Say?” He snarled through his teeth. 

Pidge chuckled lowly before providing him with the translation. 

“He basically said ‘What a breathtaking sight to wake up to’ and ‘What a beautiful sight to fall asleep to”. 

Keith could not have blushed harder if his life depended on it. 

“Seriously?” He mumbled more to himself then to Pidge. 

The shorter girl nodded and cradled her face in her hands to more comfortably enjoy the sight of Keith’s embarrassment. 

“What was the other word he used?” She asked with syrupy sweetness. 

Keith was still blushing as he answered. 

“Kialto.” 

That word made Pidge blink. 

“He called you that?” She asked in surprise. 

Her tone made Keith curl into himself even more. 

“What, is it a name?” He asked with dread. 

The thought of Lance calling him someone else’s name made him feel nauseous and off balanced. 

Pidge shook her head so hard it nearly made her glasses fall clear off her face. 

“No, no, nothing like that, I just didn’t know he was that serious about you.”

Now that caught Keith’s attention. 

“What’s it mean Pidge?” He repeated with a notable edge. 

Pidge looked slightly more uncomfortable with that question than the previous one. 

“It doesn’t have a direct English translation.” She hedged as she began fiddling with her glasses again. 

Keith simmered where he stood until his glare took effect. 

Pidge sighed and replaced her glasses atop her nose. 

“It’s basically a term of endearment in Galra. Ialto essentially means precious treasure and to add the first letter of a person’s name to that is to basically refer to them directly as someone incredibly precious to the speaker. From what Lance has told me while helping me fine tune my translating program, that’s a term shared between Galra that are in a relationship and Galra are monogamous. If he called you that, he must be way more serious than I would have assumed by his flirting.”

Keith was doing his best impression of a tomato and staring at his shoes. He’d only known Lance a couple of weeks and most of their interaction had taken place during training and battle. How in the world had he not noticed that Lance was that invested in him? 

It was surprising and exhilarating and Keith wasn’t built for this many emotional shifts in a day. 

Lance had called him his precious treasure. He’d used a term meant to be shared by mates. Everything that should have been horrifying about that thought just somehow wasn’t and all Keith could think about was the way Lance had whispered that word to him with such sleepy sincerity. 

Lance had basically confessed his intentions with that single utterance. 

Now the only question was; did Keith feel the same way? 

He didn’t have long to ponder the question before Pidge grew concerned with his silence. 

“Are you okay with that Keith? If it makes you uncomfortable-”

Keith’s head jerked up in surprise. Uncomfortable? Why would he be uncomfortable? 

“It’s not-, I mean I’m not-.” Keith couldn’t get the words out. 

Pidge’s eyes softened at the sight of Keith so obviously distraught. 

“It’s not totally one sided is it?” She questioned gently. 

Keith couldn’t meet her gaze. 

“He’s…..he’s…..” All he could think about was Lance’s fanged smile and his violet blush. His claws tender sharp against his skin. How could he explain those things to Pidge? How could he explain that he’d started falling with every back flip during training? How his resistance had waned with every wink and wave? How he’d looked across the training hall and seen Lance grieving for the family he had to leave behind every time they used the thought exercises together and how much he ached for him. How Lance looked at him. Like it amazed him every time Keith walked into the room. 

The red paladin ran a hand through his hair in aggravation before growling and meeting Pidge’s gaze. 

“This isn’t my thing. You know it’s not. I’m the red paladin, I run on instinct!” 

Pidge didn’t flinch back from his anger at all. She just asked: 

“And what are your instincts telling you Keith?” 

The violet eyed teen wrench his right hand free from his hair and threw them both into the air. 

“He’s important okay?!” He shrieked. 

He sat down on the nearest step and drew his limbs tight to him. He could feel his aggravation rush out of him like hot air from a punctured balloon. 

“He’s so God damn important.” He muttered with his face between his legs. 

Pidge’s petite hand landed on his shoulder comfortingly. 

“I don’t even know exactly what he’s doing that’s getting to me, but it is. It never felt right like this on Earth. Everything they did just felt off, but he touches and reaches and the way his eyes light up when I respond is just……” Keith trailed off, unable to find the words. 

“We’re at war… of all the times to…..” He laughed with humorless self-reproach. 

Pidge squeezed his shoulder like she thought Shiro would have in that moment before moving to sit alongside the other Paladin. 

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. Love makes us strong. It gave me the strength to infiltrate the Garrison and it keeps giving me the strength to look for my family. It’s a motivator, not a hindrance.” 

Keith peeked at her from beneath the edge of his bangs. 

“I never said I was in love with him.” He countered weakly. 

Pidge flashed him a lopsided grin. 

“You kind of did.” She insisted with soft certainty. 

Her tone grew gentler as she continued. 

“He picked you the moment he laid eyes on you. It’s not wrong to want to pick him back.” 

Keith continued to blush as he unfurled from his previous position and leaned back. 

“I need to talk to Lance.” He finally decided after a long pause. 

“You really do.” Pidge confirmed with a sagely nod. 

Keith flashed her a weak smile. 

“Thanks Pidge.” 

The younger girl gave his shoulders one last squeeze before watching Keith stroll down the hall with a stride that clearly portrayed that he was a man on a mission. 

She mentally wished him and Lance luck.

Love was hard enough to find on your own planet within your own species; let alone out in space among aliens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I survived the horror that is finals! To share my joy I give you this chapter! 
> 
> PS: I love reviews that give genuine feedback. What did you like? What could I work on? (Please PM if you want to point out a spelling mistake so I can fix it without seeing a review saying I need to fix it and always having to go back and check to make sure I did). Reviews full of hate without reason will be ignored. 
> 
> Yours truly,
> 
> Lacy Fairgold


	5. Lialto

When Keith finally found the paladin he was searching for Lance was already in the training hall and stretching out for their training session. 

“Wow Keith, I never thought I’d live to see the say I’d beat you to the training hall. You must have been way more tired after the battle yesterday than I thought.” The Galra teased. 

Keith merely rubbed the back of his neck and said nothing. 

He wasn’t sure how to start a conversation with someone whose last words to him had basically been a confession. 

Hi had never seemed so inadequate. 

Seeming to sense his hesitance Lance stopped his stretches and walked towards the red paladin. Without even the slightest hesitation Lance stepped into his personal space and looped his arms around Keith’s neck. 

It wasn’t something that the Galra hadn’t done a thousand times before since he’d arrived at the Castle of Lions, but it was the first done he’d done it and Keith hadn’t immediately pushed him away. 

Instead he asked: “Are all Galra like this?” 

Lance blinked. 

“Like what?” He asked instead of answering. 

Keith kept his gaze on the ground. 

“Like this. Touching and flirting and just….Everything.” He finished lamely. 

Lance blinked at him again before rubbing a claw tipped thumb along the back of Keith’s neck. A gesture the red paladin never even he knew he loved until that moment.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?” He asked just as softly as Pidge had only a short while ago. 

Keith shut his eyes and shook his head so hard it made his hair flutter. 

“I just…..I don’t understand what you want.” He admitted honestly. 

Keith watched from behind his bangs as the other teen’s eyes widened before softening. 

“I thought it was obvious, but maybe things are done differently on Earth.” He muttered after a pause. 

“This is how Galra court. We find someone worthy and try to provoke a response. I complimented and you countered. I teased and you tested. I reached out.” 

Keith felt the arms around his neck tighten. 

“And you let me. It was my way of proving my commitment and your way of proving your worth as a mate. You responded so perfectly I just assumed you knew that.” 

Keith felt the other’s warm breath ghost across his cheek. 

“If I’m reading this wrong Keith just tell me. Reject me………or teach me the Earthen ways to try and convince you of my feelings.” 

Another sigh brushed past his lips. 

“Either way, the next move is yours.” 

Keith swallowed around the lump in his throat before ducking his head forward till it was pressed against Lance’s collarbone. 

“I’m not used to this. I’m not used to any of this.” 

“Keith…….” Lance started, but the raven cut him off. 

“But I want it. I want it so much it scares me.” 

Keith threw his own arms around Lance’s neck before he pulled back to meet his gaze. 

“Tease me, test me, touch me, I don’t care. Just don’t stop.” He finally whispered between them. 

When Lance didn’t move, didn’t even blink, Keith pulled out his final weapon. 

“Please Lialto.” He breathed between them, trying to convey every emotion he didn’t have words for, but were bubbling up in his chest. 

That single word seemed to snap Lance out of his shock as a clawed hand reached out to cup the human teen’s face. 

“Kialto.” He responded in turn, just before closing the gap between them. 

Keith relished the warmth of his touch and the smoothness of his lips. 

He couldn’t seem to drag Lance close enough or taste enough of him to satisfy the fire blazing in his veins. 

It had never been like this on Earth. Never had Keith so badly wanted to claw himself into anyone else so deeply that he could never be dislodged. Never had he so deeply trusted in the fact that Lance had decided on him and would have no other. 

This wouldn’t be like on Earth with it’s dating that never felt serious or satisfying. 

Out here he was Kialto and that was one nickname from Lance he was happy to keep.   
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It seemed like hours had passed by the time the pair had untangled themselves from each other. Both breathed heavily as they drank each other in, Keith with his hickey covered neck and Lance with his bitten bloody lip. The sights were almost enough to drag them back together again, but they were out of time. 

They had to go meet the others for lunch soon and neither wanted to comn and explain that they couldn’t attend because they had just discovered how addicting making out on the training room floor was. 

Still, it was a struggle for Keith to merely lap up a final drop of blood from Lance’s injured lip and for the Galra to pry his fingers free from the red paladin’s hips. 

“What are we going to tell the others?” Keith questioned as he leaned against Lance and tried to catch his breath. 

Lance chuckled lowly and nuzzled his nose against Keith’s hair, just barely resisting the urge to complement the teen on his enticing scent. 

“Anything you want my Treasure. Just don’t ask me to explain what happened to your neck if you don’t want them to know about us.” 

Keith blushed as he brought a hand up to his bruised neck, but decided that he was too happy to worry about it much. 

“What would you prefer we tell them?” Keith asked instead. 

Lance hummed for a moment in thought as he wrapped his arms loosely around Keith’s waist. 

“That you were unable to resist my charm and finally consented to being mine?” He asked with a slightly hopeful and questioning edge. 

Keith leaned into his hold and sighed contently. 

“That sounds about right.” He assured the Galra gently. 

It made Lance want to kiss him again, but they didn’t have time. 

Reluctantly he untangled himself from Keith and took the hand the human offered to help him to his feet. 

He was stable for all of two seconds before Keith pulled him down by his armor and kissed him again. 

Apparently they still had a little more time.   
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
By the time they made it to lunch it was already halfway over and Lance had at least as many bites on his neck as his boyfriend.   
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the team took the news better than expected. 

Pidge teased them, Hunk cooed over their cuteness as a couple, and Shiro merely nodded and gave them both a thumbs up. 

On the way to the dining hall they’d talked about how the two Alteans’ might react to their union, given Lance’s heritage, and both had admitted to more than a small degree of concern. 

Yet both Alteans had accepted it with as much grace as they had Lance’s initial arrival. 

They even joined Pidge with her teasing. 

So the pair were unhindered by any bad feelings as they made their way back to the training hall after lunch. 

They even managed to train for all of an hour before an unexpected tackle to the ground lead to a continuation of earlier events.   
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Later that night dinner came and went with only a small amount of teasing and Keith only blushed a little when a clawed hand caught his own as they left the dining hall together again. 

His heart and mind were a jumble as he relished the contact and let himself forget about everything that existed outside of the walls around them. 

He felt light, giddy even. Addicted already to the soothing stinging of the nips on his neck and the steadying strength of the teen holding his hand. 

He was so loose limbed that it was nothing for Lance to pull him against his chest when they reached the hall with their rooms in it and kiss him again. It took less than a heartbeat for Keith to melt into his hold and to push his boyfriend against the wall between their doors. 

“You’re too irresistible.” Lance groaned lowly when they finally parted. 

Keith beamed at the praise, accepting it with none of the disbelief that he would have felt with anyone else. 

His thumbs slipped into the belt loops of the jeans they’d gotten for Lance to wear and he smirked when Lance purred at the feel of the inside of Keith’s wrists against his hips. 

His fur was darker and coarser there than it was on his limbs and Keith shouldn’t have found that hot, but it was. 

“Stay with me tonight.” He breathed softly; assured that the Galra’s heightened hearing would catch it. 

Lance’s hands stopped traveling down his sides. 

“You sure?” He asked just as quietly. 

Keith nodded before leaning forward to place a lingering kiss to Lance’s lips. 

“Stay.” He repeated with certainty. 

Lance chuckled lowly in response. 

“You make it sound like leaving was ever an option.” He teased. 

Keith just smiled softly at him before opening the door to his room.   
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Keith woke up warm. 

Warm and sleepy and perfect. 

Once again claws were at the base of his spine and a furred head was pressed to his chest. 

Once again he awoke to the thought that this was what it felt like to be safe. To be home. 

Without hesitation this time his own bare hands were looped around Lance’s waist and his own face was buried in the Galra’s hair. 

Lance had coaxed him into his red paladin robe the night before and insisted on running to his room to grab his blue one. Keith had thought he looked ridiculous in his own, but the sight of Lance sashaying around in his was a good enough reason for him to bite his tongue. 

Now that he was awake Keith trailed his fingers to the edge of the fastening of that robe and loosened it. The thin material of the pajamas beneath them was soft beneath his touch. He wondered how the furred teen could stand to wear that many layers at night, but brushed the thought aside as he continued onward. 

He managed to get the first two buttons of Lance’s top undone and to place at least half a dozen kisses on his collarbone before the felt the stirrings of the other teen against him. 

The claws at the end of his spine trailed up to the back of his neck and Keith titled his head up to meet Lance’s lips in a kiss. 

It was just as soft and warm as Keith felt. 

“Good morning Kialto.” Lance sighed when they parted. 

Keith blushed at the endearment and moved close enough to slip into the open gap of Lance’s robe. 

“We don’t have to be up for breakfast for a few more hours.” He responded just as quietly. 

Lance’s eyes brightened. 

“Then it’s an even better morning than I thought.” He teased. 

Keith smiled against the skin of his neck before pulling back and loosening the tie on his own robe. 

“We’re wearing too many layers.” He complained lowly. 

Lance’s eyes lidded at the sight of Keith shedding the outermost layer of his outfit. 

He reached out and ran a clawed hand through Keith’s hair. 

“Unwrapping a present is half the fun.” He muttered teasingly. 

Keith took that as encouragement and gently pulled the taller teen on top of him. 

Both were dressed in the same kind of painfully thin pajamas and it made it impossible not to feel each other’s response to the contact. 

The intimacy of it drew a needy whine from Keith’s throat. 

Lance caught the sound with a kiss before lowering himself fully onto the boy beneath him. 

The next half an hour was spent making out like the horny teenagers they were as hands roamed and lips met. 

Things had bumped up from warm to searing and they were just getting hotter. 

Keith wanted to go further, just like he’d wanted to the night before, but Lance slowed them down again before they got that far. Slowly detangling himself before things could reach their peaks.

It made the human wither with want, but he didn’t press the issue. 

He’d always been the one to fend off his few human boyfriends when they tried to go further than he was comfortable with and he wasn’t about to put that kind of pressure on Lance. Especially not when they were only just starting their relationship. 

(Even if pulling away from the purple teen was by far the hardest think he’d done since becoming a paladin.)

Both teens were on their backs and panting on the tiny bed as they tried to cool down from their previous heat. 

Lance caught his a beat before his boyfriend did and rolled over onto his side to look at him. 

“Far too irresistible.” He breathed between them, echoing his words from the day before. 

Keith offered a softer version of the smile he’d given then and curled up on his side to be closer to his boyfriend again. 

“Then don’t resist.” He teased gently. 

Lance reached out and cupped his face with a single purple hand. 

“Kialto………You are far too precious to rush.” He said with solemn certainty. 

It made something melt in Keith’s chest as he nuzzled into the touch. 

“You think too much of me.” He argued self-consciously. 

Lance chuckled even as he gathered the other teen into his arms. 

“You don’t think enough of yourself my Treasure. Any Galra would fight wars for the chance to earn your smile.” 

Keith blushed even as he wiggled half heartedly to break out of his love’s hold. 

“Then all Galra are fools.” He muttered with only the appearance of heat.

It only made Lance laugh lower and hold him tighter. 

“Only this one. And only about you.” He confessed. 

Keith didn’t know what to say to that. So he just let himself be held and loved, until the feel of it all lulled him unbiddenly back to sleep. 

Lance watched him with his own drooping eyes.

“You have no idea what you are or what it does to me Kialto. And when you finally do, I hope you still feel the same way about me as you do now.” He whispered sorrowfully. 

“Till then, I won’t let you give me something I can’t give back.” He promised, sealing the vow with a tender kiss to Keith’s forehead. 

The raven slept on, unaware of everything but the warmth of the body wrapped around him and his own sweet dreams.


	6. Sorry

Despite their new relationship status their job as paladins didn’t give them much time to be together outside of their work, their training and their nights wrapped in each others arms. 

What time they did have was rare and precious and they never wasted any of it. 

Even if it was only kisses traded for comfort before parting on missions or brief embraces shared after exiting a healing pod. 

They were at war and every day was stressful and exhausting and just generally busy, but Keith wouldn’t have traded it for the universe. 

It was worth it to help those that needed it and to give freedom to people that had never known it to exist in their lifetimes. 

It was worth it to see Lance light up with joy when he was able to prove to those same people that being Galra didn’t make him evil. That his species didn’t determine his nature. 

But most of all, as weird as it was, he was happier in space, in the middle of a war, than he’d ever been on Earth. 

Because Voltron had given him a mission, a family, and Lance. Things he’d never dreamed were possible before he’d come to space.

It might have been wrong to be happy in his situation, but if it was, he didn’t care. Not when it meant he got to wake up to Lance’s smile everyday and a chance to make an actually difference in the universe. 

He would take his happiness and fight to keep it.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
None of the Paladins were oblivious to his joy, Shiro least of all. 

He was the only one aboard the castle that had known Keith well prior to the start of their journey and he knew just how much he’d changed in the months since they’d taken on the title of Paladins of Voltron. 

The standoffish teen from before was gone; replaced with a paladin that allowed himself to be loved and taken care of, something he never would have accepted on Earth. 

It brought both joy and worry to the forefront of Shiro’s mind as the weeks turned to months.

Joy that Keith had found someone and worry about the person he’d chosen and their relationship. 

A worry he brought up the first time he and Keith got a chance to be alone after a mission. 

Lance was away gather supplies that they needed on the nearest planet with Hunk. 

So Shiro cornered him in the training hall and dared to try and broach the subject. 

“You’re different than you used to be Keith. Being with Lance has really changed you.” He began carefully. 

Keith smiled down at his bayard as he continued to clean it. 

“I know Shiro.” He responded absently; his thoughts already thinking of the evening ahead that he would share with his boyfriend. 

The black paladin frowned in response. 

“I’m a little concerned about how you’re changing so quickly Keith. Plus how rapidly your relationship with Lance has been progressing. It’s not like you to get so attached to a boyfriend.” 

Keith stilled at that statement, a faint protective instinct rising to the forefront of his mind, and making the hair on the back of his neck bristle. 

“What are you saying Shiro?” He asked in his most neutral voice; praying that he was misinterpreting things. 

The older man stepped forward to place a placating hand on his shoulder. 

“Nothing bad Keith. I’ve just never seen you like this. You’ve always been so independent, so seeing you come to rely so heavily on Lance in such a short period of time is a little unsettling.” 

This time more than just the hair on the back of his neck bristled as Keith returned to cleaning his blade with a much harsher amount of force than before. 

“What’s wrong with wanting to rely on him? To want to be taken care of for a change?” He hissed through gritted teeth. 

Shiro was poking at something that was already so vulnerable inside him and he hated that his first instinctive defense was to lash out at his friend. Especially when deep down he knew that Shiro wasn’t doing this to be cruel. 

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Shiro conceded gently before continuing on.

“But you practically moved him into your quarters the day after you got together, you let him drape himself all over you all the time, and I’ve never known you to share a bed with any of your past boyfriends. It’s all really out of character for you.” 

Keith returned his bayard to its smaller form before he did something he regretted and then turned to face his oldest friend. 

“So what if I’ve never done any of that before? So what if we’re sleeping together? We’re both consenting adults Shiro. I don’t need your permission to have a boyfriend.” He hissed out with icy anger. 

Shiro wisely removed his hand from the younger teen’s shoulder and instead used it to rub the back of his own neck, clearly uncomfortable with the direction their conversation had taking. 

“I know that Keith, I’m not saying you need my permission, but I’ve got to look at this from the perspective of the leader of Voltron and your friend. I’ve got to know that if things go south between you and him that you’ll be okay. That we’ll still be able to form Voltron.” 

Keith’s first irrational thought was to deny the possibility of that ever happening. Galra were monogamous and Lance had picked him. There would never be a falling out between them because they were mates. 

Keith visibly flinched as his mind reminded him that that wasn’t exactly true. 

Despite dating for months and toeing the edge of really going further, they hadn’t actually had sex yet. Lance kept insisting they weren’t ready and every time he did the vulnerable spot in Keith’s chest got just a bit more tender. A bit more bruised. 

It had seemed like the most natural thing in the world to combine his and Lance’s worlds to the point where they were too tangled together to be separated. To offer up to Lance on that first night something he’d never shared with a boyfriend before. His home, his bed, and even himself. 

It felt as natural as the courting had and it wasn’t until Shiro phrased it the way he did that he began to feel ashamed of himself for being so easy. 

Was that the reason that Lance didn’t want him? Because he was too willing? Too eager to provide everything he thought a mate should? 

Keith didn’t know anymore. His instincts said Lance was it. They’d picked him and would have no other. 

But Shiro’s words were burrowing into his mind like eager earwigs and the more rational part of himself that he’d been ignoring roared back to life with avengeance. 

Shiro had been right. He hadn’t been acting like himself. It wasn’t like him to accept others so easily. To open himself up to such potential for heartache. 

It wasn’t in his nature. 

Plus if what he little knew about Galra was true, Lance should have already started calling him mate and proving just how serious his intentions were. 

He hadn’t doubted Lance for a second before. But now he wasn’t so sure of the strength of the argument he would have made to Shiro that they would never break up. 

Rattled to his core Keith left without another word to his friend. The dueled haired man made no attempt to stop him, just watched him go with worried eyes.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It was late by the time Lance got back to the castle and he wasn’t surprised to find that Coran was the only one awake to greet them when they finally arrived home. 

Still, he was eager to see Keith again, eager to wrap his arms around his beloved and tell him about everything he’d seen on the planet’s surface. 

His excitement didn’t even wane when he arrived at their quarters and found Keith curled up on the far side of their bunk, dressed in his paladin PJs. 

He merely got ready for bed himself before lying parallel to his boyfriend. The other teen’s breath was a tad hoarser than usual and Lance worried he might be coming down with something, but that didn’t stop him from slowly weaving his body around Keith’s until the smaller teen was wrapped snug in his arms with his back pressed to the Galra’s chest. 

Noting the slight rigidity in his form Lance whispered into his ear. 

“Are you awake my Treasure?” 

A slight nod confirmed his suspicions and brought a smile to his face. 

“Sorry to wake you up Kialto. I know you need your rest. I just wanted to be closer to you.” 

The teen in his arms said nothing, just pressed his hands over Lance’s own around him tighter. 

This brought a flicker of concern to the surface within the Galra. Keith was normally fairly quiet, but something about this silence felt different. Strained almost. 

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked gently, miffed at himself now that he’d arranged them in a way where he couldn’t easily see his love’s face. 

Another shake of the human’s head confirmed that he wasn’t and made Lance grow even more concerned. 

He dropped a quick kiss to Keith’s exposed shoulder before placing his chin atop it and asking him what was wrong. 

There was a long pause and when Keith finally did respond his voice was hoarse and low; almost like he’d been crying. 

“Do you love me?” Was all he asked. 

Lance’s brow furrowed at the question. 

Hadn’t that been obvious from the moment they’d gotten together? 

Still, confused as he was by the question, he didn’t hesitate to answer it honestly. 

“Of course I love you. You’re my Kialto, my Treasure, my boyfriend.” He insisted. 

“But not your mate.” Was Keith’s only response. 

Lance froze at that. 

It was true. No Galra would recognize their relationship as anything other than a strange post courting union. Anyone on Lance’s planet would have been ashamed of how he was playing at being mates with Keith without actually going through the natural steps of making it official. 

They would have thought he was crazy since the moment he’d pushed Keith’s advances away the first night after their courting. The traditional night to mate and mark and solidify their relationship. 

Keith had done everything a courted Galra was expected to do, but Lance hadn’t accepted it. Not even when the other teen offered himself to Lance again and again. The Galra had rejected him every time and the damage from that seemed to be showing now. 

“No.” Was all he could whisper. “Not my mate.” He admitted with shame. 

Keith curled in on himself a little after that. Lance knew he didn’t know enough about Galra society to know just how wrong their relationship was, but he seemed to have picked up on enough to be upset about it. 

They should have become mates months ago and on some level Keith must have sensed his reluctance to let that happen. Knowing only that he was being rejected and not knowing the very good reason Lance had for why. 

A reason he wasn’t ready to share. Not yet. Not till he knew for absolutely sure that his theory was right. 

Lance had hoped the more human like boyfriend relationship would be enough for the time being, but the hurt in Keith’s voice told him it wasn’t. 

Because just like a human relationship Keith knew that this one wasn’t guaranteed to last forever like a mating would. It wasn’t the safe port he’d been searching for in the storm of his life. 

It killed Lance to bite his tongue and not explain to his Kialto why they weren’t mated yet. Almost as much as the next words out of his mouth. 

“I’m sorry Kialto.” He whispered to the teen trembling in his arms. 

Keith said nothing for a long moment as his frame shook with silent withheld sobs. 

“I love you.” He finally admitted between gasps. Seeming to be more tortured than comforted by the fact. 

Lance merely held him through the tears, kissing the nape of his neck and nuzzling his hair in an almost cruel imitation of what a good mate would do. 

Just as close as they had been every night for months, but further apart than they’d been before their mission had ever started.  



	7. Better

Things were different after that. 

They were still together. They still kissed and touched and were in love. 

But now a sadness tinged all that. Sunk into their every kiss and contact. 

The knowledge that something should exist where it didn’t and its absence was a painful reminder of what they both wanted. 

There were no more ‘almost’ incidents where Keith thought they might actually make love. No more making out hotly like teenagers. 

Just two people, still very much in love, but mourning something that felt lost to them both. 

It unsettled the rest of the paladins to see them like that. Curled together but unsmiling. Lost in their own thoughts the way they had once been lost in each other. Their behavior, once so happy, now solemn and gray. 

Shiro, the most unsettled of them all, worried that he’d been the cause of this discord between them. 

He’d meant to only talk to Keith about the possibility of their relationship crumbling, not be the cause of it. 

Even if it wasn’t affecting their ability to form Voltron or aid the universe, it was still affecting their small family. 

Yet every time he tried to draw either of the two into a conversation on the issue they managed to avoid admitting what was wrong. 

Why they were still together, but not like before, and Shiro knew something had to be done. 

If only because the sight of them was breaking his heart.   
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Keith hadn’t been sleeping well. Not since that awful night Lance had admitted the one truth he’d never wanted to consider. That they would never be mates. It didn’t matter that Lance loved him and that the feeling was reciprocated. It didn’t matter that their courting had ended. 

The golden eyed teen had made it very clear that their days were numbered. That they were temporary. 

He felt stupid for ever thinking otherwise. 

Love was a powerful thing. But it had never been powerful enough to make the people around him stay. 

Not his mother or his father. 

Why had he thought Lance would be any different? 

“Because he’s Galra.” Keith thought to himself as he stared at his own tired eyed expression in his bathroom mirror. 

“Because he called you a pretty name and said his kind were monogamous.” He thought with self loathing. 

He ran a hand over his paler than normal face and wondered if it would have made a difference if he’d been born purple instead of pale. 

Why else would Lance admit to loving him and wanting him, but not claiming him, unless it was because he wasn’t Galra too? 

He’d never blend into any family photograph that Lance’s clan took or be able to add children to the family. 

He could barely even speak Galra and he’d been practicing in secret for weeks now. 

Lance probably wouldn’t even want him to meet his family if it ever did become possible. 

Yet, despite all that, he stayed. He knew Lance wouldn’t remain with him long, but he still stayed. 

He still curled into furred arms every night and kissed lavender lips every morning. 

He stayed and counted himself lucky. Even if he was just a place holder until Lance met a Galra that could be everything Keith wasn’t, he wasn’t about to shorten their time together. 

Because no matter what his DNA said he was, no matter what other humans were, Keith was monogamous. 

He’d picked Lance. There had been no one before and there would be no one after. 

It was his choice, and as painful as it was, nothing was going to change his mind.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Keith thought it was only a matter of counting the days till Lance got bored with him. Till his nights became cold again and his lips untouched. 

At least until he saw a blade on the back of a Galra named Ulaz. 

A blade bearing a mark he’d known for as long as he could remember. 

The one thing he’d kept at his side since he was old enough to wield it safely. 

A sight that brought a twinge of hope to his heart for a possibility he’d never dreamed possible. One he didn’t even dare voice until he was deep in the lair of the Blade of Mamora. 

Till he was faced with a challenge that nearly brought him to his knees and called forth memories and horrors that shook him to his core. 

Till despite wanting to know about his past and if he and Lance had a future, he offered the blade to the Mamora rather than see the alliance between them crumble. 

The sight of it transforming in his grasp and the Mamora’s leader’s words were the only thing he needed to witness to finally allow it all to land on his shoulders and for that weight to carry him to the ground.   
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Shiro rushed to Keith’s side as the red paladin fell and just barely managed to catch him before the poor boy landed face first onto the ground. 

“Keith!” He shrieked; his call echoed by the tackling of the red lion against the outer crust of the hide out. 

His human hand nearly flinched back after coming in contact with the heat that was pulsing off Keith’s skin. 

“He’s burning up.” He muttered fretfully, barely aware of the fact that Kolivan had come to stand over them. 

“He seems to be going into heat.” He noted urgently as he flashed a look at both the crumbling ceiling and his second in command. 

“There are many unmated men and women under my command should he be in need of someone, but I’m afraid I must insist that he be cared for before his lion destroys our base. Is he unmatched?” 

Keith moaned weakly in Shiro’s arms, but remained unconscious as the Paladin’s leader gathered him into his arms.

“He has a mate, back at our castle, but how will that help him?” 

Kolivan shook his head gravely. 

“A heat is a very intimate thing to be shared between mates and only a mate can quell it fully. Is his chosen human?” 

Shiro shook his head just enough to not disturb the boy in his arms. 

“No, he’s the Blue paladin. A Galra.” 

Kolivan gave a firm nodded as he motioned Shiro towards the elevator that had brought them to the main hall of the building. 

“My advice to you is to unite them as soon as possible. This isn’t a naturally occurring heat and there can be repercussions to not resolving it as soon as possible.” 

Shiro allowed himself to be lead to the elevator, but continued his questioning. 

“What kind of repercussions?” He asked sharply as the doors were closing between them. 

Kolivan merely shook his head and muttered: “His mate will know.”   
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Lance shifted uncomfortably in his seat in the control room as his eyes bore into the monitor in front of him. 

The red lion had been activated and for all Lance knew his boyfriend was in trouble. 

Yet there was nothing he could do but await orders to either aid his love in battle or await his return in the hanger. 

It was torture. 

Especially since Keith had been in such a rush to meet the leaders of the Blade of Mamora that he’d barely paused to peck Lance on the cheek before he’d departed with Shiro. 

If that was the last time he ever got the chance to be with Keith, he’d never forgive himself.   
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After what seemed liked weeks rather than hours the red lion returned to the castle and nothing in the universe could have kept Lance from running to check on them. 

He could tell something was wrong. He could practically smell it in the air. 

It wasn’t until the red lion’s mouth opened that Lance realized it wasn’t trouble he was smelling. It was Keith. 

He couldn’t get to his boyfriend fast enough as he realized what was happening. 

And that it was all his fault. 

“Keith, oh Keith.” He whimpered as he took his love from Shiro’s arms. 

The black paladin began to explain what had happened and what Kolivan had told him, but Lance wasn’t listening. 

All his ears could hear was Keith’s shallow breathing and all his eyes could see was the sheen of sweat covering his skin. 

“He’s in heat.” He whispered more to himself than to the others. 

They quieted at his words as they watch the taller teen cradle his love in his lap and do everything he could think of to soothe him. 

Shiro hovered over them both with worried eyes as Lance brought his wrist up to Keith’s nose and his free hand up to his neck. 

“What are you-” Shiro began, but a sharp look from Lance cut him off. 

A whimpered from Keith brought his attention back to the boy in his arms and the Galra was quick to shush him. 

“Shh, Keith. Just breathe. Deep breaths now.” He urged gently. 

None of the other paladins moved as Keith unconsciously did as he was instructed and took deep breaths of Lance’s scent.

It seemed to quell something within him, because not even a minute later his breathing evened out and his eyes fluttered open. 

“Lance.” He breathed; more joy and relief in that one word than in any other that they’d ever heard him speak. 

The Galra in question brought the red paladin’s face to his throat as he rocked them back and forth gently. 

“Should we get him to a healing pod?” Pidge asked when the room had quieted of all but their breathing. 

Lance shook his head. 

“This isn’t a natural heat. Trying to prevent it could damage his ability to have them at all in the future. His body would be scarred from it and he’d probably end up sterile.” 

Lance trembled slightly as he continued. 

“We’ll need supplies to help get him through it successfully.” 

His voice was stronger by the time he’d created his mental list and raised his head to meet their worried gazes. 

“Pidge, gather some blankets and put them in my room. Hunk I need you to put some nonperishable food and plenty of water there too. Leaving for food breaks won’t be much of an option for a while.” 

His voice grew softer as he turned to Shiro and the two Alteans. 

“Keith and I….We won’t be able to pilot our lions for at least another few days. Interrupting is not an option I would recommend until at least three days have passed and even then you should do it very cautiously and only out of extreme necessity.” 

His grip on Keith tightened as the teen trembled in his arms. 

“I can handle everything else.” He assured them before they departed. 

Only when they had left did Lance look down to see purple eyes staring up at him. 

“You’re in heat Keith. Do you know what that means?” He muttered so softly that only the boy in his arms could hear him. 

He could feel Keith’s smile against his skin just before he answered. 

“I’m Galra.” He replied with such pride it nearly brought Lance to tears. 

“I can be your mate now.” He continued, his smile as bright as his eyes were glazed.

That pushed Lance over the edge and made the tears brimming in his eyes spill over. 

“That wasn’t, you were always, it was never about what you were.” He finally managed to respond. 

Keith barely seemed to hear him as his smile turned into an opened mouth kiss against Lance’s neck. 

“You smell so good. Even better than usual.” He praised around a mouthful of purple flesh. 

Lance let out a startled laugh at the unexpected change of subject before falling silent again. 

“This is my fault. You’re in heat because I’m here. Between your age, my presence and all the stress you’ve been under it’s no wonder your body reacted like this.” 

Keith pulled back from his neck a little and scrunched his nose before blinking in confusion; clearly more out of it than he’d been a moment before. 

“I’m not stressed…” He asserted absently. “I’m……” 

Lance nearly flinched as the boy in his lap rolled close enough to half grind against him. 

“I’m really, really, hot.” He half panted into Lance’s upturned ears. 

“Oh Quiznak.” The Galra breathed as he rushed to arrange his boyfriend back into his previous position. 

Keith whined lowly in protest, but settled back into his previous position with his face in Lance’s neck. 

The purple teen was about to try and continue their conversation when he caught sight of Coran rushing past the door to the hanger. 

“Coran!” He called franticly. 

The older Altean paused in the doorway and turned to them. 

“You called my boy?” He asked with his normal exuberance. 

Lance tried to nod, but stopped with a blush when he felt Keith’s teeth against his neck again. 

“Do you know if the castle has any Tegaiyti tablets or mixtures? It might calm Keith down enough for us to have a real conversation without stopping his heat altogether.” 

Coran tilted his head thoughtfully. 

“We should have some in the infirmary. I’ll go check.” 

He was halfway out of the doorway when Lance called to him again. 

“One more thing Coran, can you check if there’s any……” He trailed off uncomfortably before looking down at Keith. 

The newly discovered Galra Halfling was nuzzling against him in a deceivingly innocent way and it made the next words out of Lance’s mouth all the harder to form. 

“Anything to make sure Keith’s heat doesn’t get the results nature intended it to have?” 

Coran’s expression remained puzzled for a moment at his words, but quickly cleared. 

“Oh, of course. The Altean equivalent should work just as effectively and we’ve got a rather large supply of it. I’ll grab both and leave them in your room.” 

“Thanks.” Lance called after him gratefully as Coran left and they were once again left alone. 

Keith was still clearly too out of it to talk and he didn’t want to initiate anything until they had, so Lance focused on soothing him rather than satisfying him. 

He altered between making sure Keith was catching enough of his scent to not freak out and petting his hair gently. 

It got harder to keep his hands in appropriate places as Keith’s body continued to pump out pheromones in greater and greater quantities, but Lance merely started breathing through his mouth and hoping their friends would finished their tasks quickly. 

After what seemed like an eternity Hunk finally appeared in the doorway and flashed them both a set of thumbs up. 

“All set guys……So ummm….Good luck?” He offered unsurely before blushing and bolting down the hall. 

Lance was glad he didn’t linger and start babbling. He loved Hunk, but right now his soon to be mate needed his attention. 

So, as gently as he could Lance gathered Keith into his arms and started walking towards his room.   
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When Keith woke up again he was disoriented. The last thing he remembered clearly was Kolivan telling him and Shiro that he was Galra. That it was possible for him to be Lance’s mate. 

Then it all got fuzzy. 

He remembered flashes of Shiro, Red’s voice both teasing and reassuring in his head, then Lance. Warm and wonderful and clearer than anything else. 

As though summoned by Keith’s thoughts of him Lance appeared out of their private bathroom with a glass of water in one hand and wet wash cloth in the other. 

“Oh good, the Tegaiyti tablets are working. How’s you head?” 

Keith sat up slowly as his love took a seat beside him on the bed and pressed the cloth against his cheek. 

It was refreshingly cool against his over heated skin and he couldn’t help but lean into the touch. 

“Clearer. But still……” He didn’t have words for how the world seemed a little blurred around the edges. For how he could feel the dull simmer of heat in every inch of his body, just waiting to be set free. 

Lance nodded in understanding. 

“The Tegaiyti cleared your head, but it won’t stop your heat from happening. It’s just delayed it for a little while…..Long enough for us to talk.” 

Keith lowered his eyes at those words and leaned more heavily into Lance’s touch. 

“Did Shiro tell you……?” He asked softly. 

Lance nodded. 

“Yeah. He told me” He admitted calmly. 

Keith met his gaze. 

“If I’m Galra, does that mean I can….We can be….” He flushed as his own embarrassment kept him from continuing. 

Lance frowned as he cradled Keith’s face in one hand and reached for Keith’s hand with his other. 

“I should have explained to you why I didn’t become your mate sooner. I should have told you why I hesitated at all. It was never because I didn’t want it. You can’t know how much I wanted to make it official that first night……..” Lance trailed off and Keith crawled even closer to him. 

“You don’t have to explain, just because I’m going through this…..” When he didn’t say anything else Lance offered “Heat.” 

“Heat.” Keith continued with a shy nod. 

“It doesn’t mean that you have to explain or do anything, Kolivan offered-”

Before Keith could even finish that sentence he was on his back and Lance was hovering over him. The taller teen had a scowl on his face and Keith’s hands pinned to his side. 

“If he laid a hand on you…..” Lance snarled darkly. 

Keith looked up at him wide eyed as he felt the urge to submit rather than struggle against the hold. His mind clouded over momentarily as he thought of all the different ways Lance could help quell the building fire inside him. 

“I only want you.” He admitted with breathless honesty as he looked up at the lavender teen above him. 

The Galra’s snarl softened into something incredibly gentle as he met Keith’s eyes with his own golden ones. 

“You have the most beautiful amethyst eyes Kialto.” He complimented unexpectedly. “They’re what made me think you might be Galra in the first place.” 

Keith’s mind cleared at that. 

“You thought-” He started, but Lance cut him off. 

“I didn’t know. But Galra have been crossbreeding with other species for centuries and usually there’s at least one dominant Galra feature in any one born with even a hint of Galra DNA. Especially since it tends to be genetically dominant. Pidge said amethyst wasn’t a common Earthen eye color and you responded to courting just like any Galra would. I couldn’t prove it and nothing I knew was definitive, but I couldn’t become your mate until I knew for sure.” 

Keith wilted at that as he turned his head to the side and away from Lance’s gaze. 

“So if I were only human-” He began, but Lance interpreted him again. 

“You could have been Human or Altean or even Balmeran and I would have loved you and wanted to be your mate Keith.” He admitted with certainty. 

“Then why….?” Keith asked as his dared to turn and meet his gaze again. 

“Because it’s different when Galra mate with each other. If you were anything else and got tired of being with me it wouldn’t matter, you would have been able to leave me without an issue. But if you were Galra, even just a small percentage, and we became mates, you would have been bound to me. Galra are naturally monogamous. We only take one mate a lifetime. Once you were mine no other Galra would ever have you and you would have been disgusted just by the thought of being with anyone else. That’s why Galra never cheat, we never have one night stands, and when we decide on a mate, it’s for forever. I know it’s not like that for humans and you needed to know what you were deciding before you made that decision.” 

Lance leaned down until they were only a breath apart. 

“If you weren’t Galra and left, it would have destroyed me. I couldn’t have ever had another mate. I would have pined for you until I died.” 

The lavender teen leaned down and placed a lingering kiss onto Keith’s cheek. 

“I would have risked it anyway. I would have taken you as my mate even with that chance.” 

Keith reached up to wrap an arm around Lance’s neck and keep him in place. 

“You should have talked to me. So I could tell you what I’ve known since the day our courting ended.” 

This time Keith initiated the drawn out kiss between them. 

“I thought you didn’t want me because I was human. That I would be replaced the second you found a Galra worthy of you.” 

Lance opened his mouth to protest, but Keith cut him off with another tender kiss. 

His voice was even lower as he continued. 

“And I would have stayed with you until that very last second and been grateful for the opportunity. Because I’ve known since that day Lance that mate or not, Galra or not, you’re it. Maybe it’s the Galra in me and maybe it’s not, but I only want you Lance. All these weeks of being with you without actually being with you, have been driving me up the wall. Wondering what I was doing wrong. Why you would want to court me, but not keep me.” 

Keith’s voice got tighter as he continued. 

“I never felt so helpless. So wrong when I was sure I was doing everything right. I’m the paladin of the red lion. I’m all instinct. And you don’t know how wrong everything’s felt since you said you wouldn’t be my mate.” 

Keith could feel tears gathering in his eyes and something catching in his throat, but he blamed the hormones he could feel raging through him for that. 

“I never want to feel like that again.” He admitted in one final exhausted rush. 

He didn’t dare meet Lance’s gaze as he confessed his worst weakness to the teen he loved, but he felt the other’s eyes on his face like searchlights in the dark. 

Finally Keith felt claw tipped fingers trail down the side of his face and a furred forehead press against his own. 

“I was the one that did everything wrong Keith. I was the one that made you feel that way. I’ve known since the moment I stepped out of my lion that you were it and I never should have let you think for a moment that I wasn’t completely yours.” 

Keith tightened his grip around Lance’s neck and basically just breathed him in. He could feel whatever Lance had given him wearing off and his focus waning in the face of his building want. 

“Make it up to me. Make me yours.” He pleaded under his breath. 

Lance leaned back and really looked at him, noting his dilated pupils and limp limbs. 

His smile grew both concerned and fond. 

“You’re in heat, you aren’t thinking clearly-”

Keith laughed lowly at him. 

“Lance, you’re the only thing I’ve been able to see clearly since this whole heat thing started. I was in a base with upwards of a hundred eligible and unmated Galra.” 

Keith unwrapped one arm from around his boyfriend’s neck and placed a hand against his face. 

“And all I could think about was how much I needed to get back to you.” He breathed. 

He pulled Lance down until they were a centimeter apart. 

“Mate me.” He begged, his indigo eyes glowing gold around the edges. 

The sight made Lance swallow hard and breathe deep. 

“Okay.” He finally conceded. 

The word alone made Keith’s body relax against the stack of pillows behind him and drew a smile to his face. 

Lance smiled softly back at him before placing a swift kiss to his lips.

Before Keith could move to deepen the kiss Lance detangled himself from his boyfriend’s hold and stood up. 

Keith let out a sound that was unmistakably a whimper as Lance grabbed something from the side table and the glass of water. 

“You need to take this first. Okay?” He muttered gently, handing Keith a tiny turquoise pill and the glass. 

Keith sat up with a grumble and took both offered items. 

“What is it?” He asked absently. 

Lance rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he answered. 

“I didn’t want to give you anything other than the Tegaiyti without your consent. It’s Altean birth control. Coran thinks it should work for you too.” 

Keith’s head bolted up so fast he nearly made himself dizzy. 

“Are you saying I can get pregnant from this?!” He shrieked. 

Lance took an involuntary step back as his ears pressed down in a startled manner. 

“Yeah?” He stuttered back in shock. 

Keith thought he’d been handling everything he’d learned that day pretty well, but there was only so much his hormonal mind could take before it started getting overwhelmed. 

Something must have flashed across his face because Lance instantly rushed forward and steadied him. He knelt before the shaken teen and cupped his face between his hands. 

“You can only get pregnant during a heat and once your heats have stabilized they’ll only happen twice a year or so. This is your first and it was caused by my presence, stress, and your age. Once we’re mated your body should stabilize and begin a healthy routine.” 

Keith took a deep breath as he listened, taking comfort in Lance’s calm and soothing presence. 

Once the knowledge sunk passed the initial level of shock in his brain Keith met his gaze with a look of wonder on his face. 

“We could have a family.” He stated with awe. 

Lance’s features softened. 

“Someday Kialto. When the war is over and we can give our children the kind of stable environment they deserve.” 

His smile turned teasing. 

“If they’re half as lovely as you fending off unsuitable suitors will need to be my full time occupation.” 

Keith melted at the thought of having children with Lance. His pale skin and Lance’s golden eyes. His raven hair and Lance’s endearing ears. There wasn’t a combination that didn’t bring a smile to his face. 

The wonder of it all made him blush as he looked down at the tiny pill. On one level the thought of taking it made his hair bristle and his stomach catch. But at the same time he knew as much as he wanted to someday have a family with Lance, it wouldn’t be fair to any child to start it in the middle of a war. 

“Someday?” He asked hopefully. 

“Someday.” Lance promised. 

That was all Keith needed to hear to bring the pill to his lips and swallow. 

Half a glass of water later he was back on the bed with Lance at his side, the final effects of the Tegaiyti completely wearing off and his heat returning in full force. 

Lance was gentle as he began stripping him bare of his clothing and dabbing at his head with the still wet cloth from before. 

He was humming a tune Keith didn’t recognize, but was calmed by. He knew this was something new and slightly frightening to both of them and he appreciated the fact that this was an intimacy that they would only ever share with each other. 

“I love you.” Keith admitted as Lance shed the last layers of his own clothing.

The purple teen paused in the middle of pushing the clothes off the bed to turn and draw Keith into a lingering kiss. 

“I love you too.” He whispered between them. 

Between hearing those words, seeing Lance in all his natural Galra glory and the hormones rushing through his veins Keith was on a high that he never dreamed could be surpassed. 

But then Lance touched him, and everything got better.


	8. Blessing

Keith woke up on the morning of the third day of their mating to the same tune being hummed that he’d heard the first night of their union. 

He listened to it with fondness as he laid on his stomach and enjoyed the lingering warmth of Lance’s place on the bed. Said teen was rummaging around in one of the boxes that Hunk had prepared and plucking out some of simpler snacks available to them. 

Keith hummed his own appreciation of the sight as he took in the view of Lance bare before him. 

His lover was coated in claw marks and bejeweled in bites, each one a reminder of a moment of passion between them. 

Keith had never felt so sated and satisfied in his life as he stretch out across the bed just to feel his own body’s reminders of the last few days. 

Handprints decorated his hips in striking parallels against his pale flesh and a single bite on his neck was sure to scar and leave a permanent mark of their first heat together. 

Every pinch and pain that he felt only served to deepen his sense of contentment and satisfaction. 

He was mated now. Bound to the boy before him by something stronger than any human promise of commitment. All of his doubts were gone and replaced with daydreams of the future promised to him. Of the children Lance and he would one day share once they defeated Zarkon. Of being with Lance till he was laid to rest. Because now he knew for certain that nothing but death would ever part them. 

Keith’s glow was impossible to ignore and Lance couldn’t resist returning to his mate and kissing the corner of his grin. 

“Good morning Kialto.” He whispered with tenderness. 

Keith beamed under his gaze and allowed his mate to feed him a few small berry-like fruits that he’d taken from their supplies. They tasted like tangerines and figs mixed together and Keith didn’t hesitate to lick their juices from his lover’s fingers. 

“Hmmmm, I could get used to breakfast in bed.” He muttered around a juice coated digit. 

Lance laughed lowly and ran his free hand through Keith’s disheveled hair.

“Whatever my mate wants.” He conceded warmly. 

Keith brimmed over with satisfaction at the new title bestowed upon him. 

“I think my heats over.” He announced as soon as they were both done eating. 

Lance allowed Keith to clean his fingers completely before lying down beside the pale teen again and catching his hands. 

“Are you sure my Treasure? You still smell rather delectable.” 

Keith blushed at the teasing even as he lightly shoved the other teen’s shoulder. 

“You said that before I even went into heat.” He countered without any real strength. 

Lance laughed and gathered Keith into his arms.

“Then lay with me a little longer Love. I want to enjoy you a little more before I have to share you again with the rest of the universe.” 

Keith smiled against his lover’s neck and enjoyed the deep rumble of the purr that started up only a moment later. He was halfway to dozing when a thought struck him. 

“Hey Lance.” 

“Yeah?” Came the sleepy reply. 

“That song you’ve been humming, is it something special?” He asked. 

Keith could hear the smile he couldn’t see in his lover’s voice as he answered. 

“If we were on my home world it’s the tune they would have played at our mating ceremony.” 

Lance began trailing his hand up Keith’s back and drawing nonsense shapes with the tips of his claws as he continued. 

“My cousins would have sung it for us as we met in the middle of a crowd made up of our friends and family. Then bestowed upon us a thousand blessings for long life, healthy children, and fortunate future.” His voice got softer as he continued. 

“My mother would have woven you a band of blessing for your right wrist and my father would have carved you a clan stone to sit in its center.” 

Then even softer: “And when I found you in the heart of the crowd with the blessings of my parents, friends, and family all around us……..I would have requested your blessing.” 

A kiss fell on Keith’s forehead. 

“That I might always be present in your thoughts.” 

Another kiss landed over his heart as Lance trailed down his chest. 

“Welcomed in your heart.” 

A final kiss was planted on his navel. 

“And able to provide for all your needs.”

Keith’s eyes were lidded as they looked down at his love. 

“And what would I do?” He breathed. 

Lance’s smile was adoring as he looked up at him. 

“You would offer your consent to me with a kiss.” He explained. 

“Like this?” Keith asked as he pulled the taller teen up to him until their lips were only a breath apart. 

Lance barely needed to nod before Keith caught his lips in a kiss that outshone any they had previously shared. 

Keith could practically see it behind his eyelids. Lance’s family and the other member of Voltron around them, smiling and laughing together in joy over the union. Lance robed in formal Galra attire and his own body adorned with the gift from his in-laws. 

Everything as welcome and intimate as the kisses Lance had placed upon him. 

When Keith opened his eyes again everything else but Lance was gone and he didn’t care. 

He didn’t need anything else but his mate to celebrate their union. To bask in the raw affection and joy that existed between them. 

“Someday.” The lavender teen began. 

“I’ll bring you home to my family and give you a real ceremony to celebrate our mating.” 

He sounded so sincerely determined Keith couldn’t help but kiss him again. 

“I look forward to meeting them…..But I think I love our version of the ceremony more than I ever will a real one.” Keith admitted fondly.

Lance laughed at his words and nuzzled his nose along Keith’s jaw line. 

He looked at Keith so reverently in that moment that it made the pale teen blush despite everything. 

Which only made Lance laugh softer.

“I never dreamed I’d find a mate like you. When all of my siblings and cousins were pairing off with others from my hometown they couldn’t understand why I didn’t pick someone too. Why I wouldn’t even try courting any of those that showed interest in me.” 

Lance continued to laugh lowly. 

“I never had a good reason. For them or myself. The Galra that tried were all perfectly fine…….” 

A clawed hand brushed Keith’s hair out of his eyes. 

“They just weren’t you.” He admitted with fondness. 

Keith melted into his grasp and flashed him a grin. 

“You should have seen me reacting to the boys who wanted to date me on Earth. I nearly broke one guy’s jaw for trying to kiss me after a crappy first date and I scared another one off when he found out I still had my knife with me after our second date. He thought I didn’t trust him or something.” He explained with an eye roll.

“Human dating altogether is just really weird.” Keith finished with a shrug. 

His grin melted into something almost contemplative as he seemed to take note of his own words. 

“I feel like I should be more weirded out about finding out I’m not totally human, but I’m just kind of not? It just kind of makes sense on some level. I always knew I was different…..Just being alien was not in my top ten guesses for why.” 

Keith was so caught up in his own thoughts he didn’t note Lance’s frown until the taller teen had pulled his hand away. 

“I don’t need to go hunt any of those past guys down do I?” He asked with a level of seriousness that made Keith’s eventual laughter louder than normal. 

When he finally stopped it was only because the urge to kiss the frown off of Lance’s face was too strong to ignore. 

“Hey.” He breathed when they parted. 

“If they mattered at all I wouldn’t be here would I? I was waiting for someone who actually knew how to court me.” 

He ran a hand through Lance short hair. 

“Who wasn’t afraid when I pinned them to a wall and threatened them.” He explained with a lazy guiltless grin. 

Lance became boneless at the touch of Keith’s nails trailing along his hairline. 

“It only made me want you more.” He admitted shamelessly. 

Keith’s skin darkened a tinge at those words even as his grip on his love’s hair tightened. 

“When you pinned me so easily and then let me go with an offer to train with me, it was right like nothing they ever did was.” He confessed heatedly. 

“You showed me you were strong, not with the intent to make me feel weak, but to show that I could be with you. That you could be strong enough for both of us.” 

Using his grip on his love’s hair Keith tilted his head back to expose the length of his lavender neck. 

“It made me want to bite you.” He recalled lustfully. 

Lance’s eyes nearly rolled back in pleasure as Keith began placing sharp toothed nips against the skin of his neck. 

“Fuck, Keith. You sure your heats over?” 

The pale teen merely hummed against his throat for a minute before his unoccupied hand trailed down between them. 

He smirked when he felt how hard Lance was against him. 

“I don’t need to be in heat to want my mate.” He half cooed into a purple ear. 

“Keith.” Lance half keened at the contact. 

“You promised to provide for all my needs right?” Keith crooned enticingly. 

“Well….I need my mate.” He admitted with lidded eyes. 

Lance didn’t need to be asked twice as he rolled himself over his mate to cage his body under him. 

“How Kialto? How do you need me?” He asked with an eager growled that sent shivers down Keith’s spine. 

The question only made Keith relax against his pillows further as he grasped his lover’s hand with lazy strength. 

He brought the tips to his lips and muttered “I need you here.” 

Before dragging them down further until they were pressed against his entrance. 

“And here.” He commanded calmly, doubtless of the fact that Lance would do everything in his power to satisfy him. 

He could practically see his mate’s mouth water as he took in the sight of Keith loose limbed beneath him, eager and willing to be enjoyed. 

The red paladin’s breath caught as Lance toyed with his opening with careful claws. 

“You’re still so loose Kialto. So wet.” He noted with pleasure. 

A single digit slipped inside of Keith and tested his resistance.

It made the Halfling’s toes curl in pleasure. 

“I could just….” He trailed off purposefully as he removed his fingers all together and leaned down to gather Keith up. 

The raven haired teen allowed himself to be manhandled without a struggle as his mate leaned back against the headboard and balanced his lover on his lap.

Keith sighed with relief as he felt himself be lowered onto his boyfriend completely. 

“Perfect.” He breathed when they were settled together. 

“Yeah.” Lance agreed as he stared adoringly up at his mate. 

Keith noted the look and smiled dreamily down at him. 

“Come on Lialto.” He cooed with affection. “Make love to me.” 

Lance didn’t need anymore encouragement as he braced his hands against Keith’s sides and lifted him up with breathless ease. 

Gravity brought him back down with a pleased moan as Lance rolled his hips up to meet him. 

“You were made for this.” Lance praised as he set a punishing pace. 

“Made for you.” Keith corrected as he buried his face into Lance’s hair and wrapped his arms around his neck to cling to him.

The declaration only spurred the lavender teen on as he darkened the bruises already on Keith’s hips with his grip. 

“Made to please you.” Keith panted directly into his ear. 

“Made to fuck you and fight you and carry your kids.” He continued as he got closer and closer. 

“Keith.” Lance growled through clenched teeth as the pale teen continued to ride him both physically and verbally. 

“Made to take everything you can give me. To make sure that you’ll never need anyone else.” The amethyst eyed teen swore. 

Lance was half mad from the feeling of the teen and his words all wrapped around him. Keith was all he could hear. All he could see, smell, taste, touch. 

Keith, Keith, Keith. 

His world thrummed. 

It was all Lance could do to hang on as his universe narrowed to the beautiful teen in his arms and everything that he inspired in the Galra. 

Keith was the storm and its center. The chaos and the calm. Both his destruction and his salvation. 

He blazed so beautifully that all Lance could do was want to be consumed. To fuel the miracle that was the boy in his arms. 

All at once the pale teen stiffened and let loose a shriek of ecstasy that everyone in the castle must have heard. 

Warmth landed on Lance’s chest as the muscles around him convulsed and tightened to the point that he couldn’t hold on anymore. 

With his own strangled moan he released his essence into the boy atop him and rode out the waves of pleasure with slowing thrusts into his mate. 

“Oh Lance.” His mate breathed blissfully as he felt the satisfying sensation of his mate staking his claim in the most intimate of ways. 

The boy beneath him merely shuddered with the aftershocks of it all as his hands gripped the teen atop him tighter. 

The two panted and shook for few more minutes as they came down from their mutual highs. 

Keith recovered a moment quicker than his mate and swiped sweat matted hair off of his face to place a lingering kiss onto Lance’s newly bitten lip. 

The simmer inside him had finally transformed into a satisfied warmth that turned his flesh to mush and his bones to jello. 

He was so boneless that the only thing keeping him upright was Lance’s reflexive grip around him and even that seemed to be loosening. 

He knew in that moment that if he had been any more Galra than he was, he would have been purring from the pleasure of it all. 

“Lance.” He sighed again, noting the still dazed look on his love’s face. 

The Galra didn’t respond as he continued to stare lovingly at his mate. 

More amused than anything Keith unhooked his arms from around Lance’s neck and moved to cradle his face between his hands. 

“If you keep looking at me like that we’ll have to start all over again.” He threatened playfully.

Lance made a choked off sound at the thought and leaned forward to bury his face into the crook of Keith’s neck. 

“Kialto, you can’t just say thinks like that!” He groaned in mock outrage

Keith laughed into his hair as he trailed his hands up until they were toying with his love’s cat-like ears. 

“I can if it means you’ll keep being cute.” He teased shamelessly. 

Lance groaned again even as he rolled them onto their sides and carefully pulled out of his mate. 

The sensation wrenched a low mewl of residual pleasure from Keith’s lips as he felt a fresh wave of seed and slick trail down his body and coat his already filthy flesh. 

His heat had left him as decorated in love marks and coated in fluids as one would expect after three many days of love making and he didn’t even mind.

Not when the sensation made him feel so satisfied and the sight made Lance’s eyes glaze over. 

Eyes that never strayed from Keith’s face as he checked for any pain beneath the pleasure. 

“You’ll need some time in the healing pod.” He noted softly. 

Keith stretched out his body until everything gave a satisfying pop before meeting his eyes again. 

“But then I’ll lose all my pretty marks.” He teasingly whined as his fingers ghosted over the series of bites on his collarbone. 

Lance eyed the marks regretfully for a moment before smirking. 

“But then we’ll get the opportunity for me to make more.” He promised with a grin. 

Keith accepted his answer with his own drowsy smile as the day’s activities caught up to him. 

“A little longer.” He half yawned as he cuddled against Lance’s chest. 

“Let’s linger just a little long.” He whispered as sleep curled at the edges of his mind. 

Lance smiled indulgently as he placed another kiss to Keith’s forehead. 

“As long as you want my Treasure.” He promised. 

“Love you.” Keith sighed against his skin. 

“I love you more.” His mate countered in a whisper. 

It would have been something that the smaller teen would have challenged if he wasn’t already fast asleep. Already dreaming of the not so distant day when the seeds inside him would he be allowed to take root and provide the promised children that flittered through his dreams like ghostly butterflies. 

Of a time when the universe would know the kind of peace that he felt in that moment. Cherished and cradled by his mate. Warm and worn from the heat. And finally loved and in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more Chapter to go!


	9. One More

With their blissful time together officially ended the pair exited the room the next day after a very long shower session together.

They had fortunately missed in little in their absence and Keith was able to slip into a healing pod with little protest from anyone other than himself. 

(Especially after Coran confirmed that his pretty marks would have to be healed too.) 

Lance bounced between his pod and their room as he did his best to clean and rearrange it out of the little love nest they’d created during Keith’s heat. 

It smelled so divinely of Keith and their mating that it nearly pained him to do so, but he knew that the others wouldn’t be as fond of the scent as he was. 

He also made a point to profusely thank his friends for being so understanding and providing for them during the unexpected delay in battle against Zarkon. Even if they seemed to be more embarrassed about it than he was.

Despite their embarrassment they all rallied around Hunk when he suggested that they make a feast to not only help nourish Keith when he exited his pod, but also to celebrate the pair finally overcoming the misunderstanding that had stood between them the past few weeks. 

(It also didn’t hurt that Lance’s description of what a shared heat and mating ceremony meant in Galra culture essentially sounded like a marriage). 

So a few hours after entering the pod Keith fell into the open arms of his mate and smiled weakly at his family.

“Hi guys.” He muttered through a parched throat. 

Everyone surge around him and spent the entire walk to the dining hall commenting on his new status, his new heritage, and their relief at his recovery. 

Keith basked in the acceptance and concern offered by his friends as he leaned heavily against his mate. 

Just when he thought he couldn’t possibly love them all anymore than he did in that moment, they managed to surprise him with a dining hall decorated in streamers and lights and more food than Keith had ever seen atop the long table. 

They all spent the rest of the night celebrating, talking and bonding together for the first time in a long time. 

They were whole and happy and just about as prepared as they would ever be to form Voltron and defend the universe.   
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
5 years later. 

Keith fell from the healing pod and into his mate’s arms again for the umpteenth time since he’d become a paladin of Voltron. 

Only this time he fought the natural drowsiness it caused and searched his love’s face for some kind of clue as to the results of his latest healing and scan. 

“Well?” He asked breathlessly. 

Lance beamed at him before placing a clawed hand to his abdomen. 

“You were right Kialto.” He confirmed with a grin. 

The raven whooped with joy as his mate picked him up and twirled him around. 

“We’re going to be parents!” He declared with delight before meeting his mate’s lips in a heated kiss. 

“I want them to look just like you.” Keith whispered reverently when they parted. 

They were still so close that he could practically taste Lance’s laugher against his lips. 

“No, my Treasure. Just like you. All of your beauty and brilliance.” He insisted. 

Keith was too happy to really argue. But he still insisted on adding. 

“I’ll always have a preference for purple.” 

Before he kissed the father of his child all over again. 

Nine months later Antha Kogane was born on her father’s home planet. Surrounded by her parents, the paladins of Voltron, and all the rest of her extended family. 

Her skin the mostly lovely shade of lavender that any of them had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s all folks! I hope you thought it was everything I promised it would be! 
> 
> If you liked reading this half as much as I liked writing this please do me the favor of: Sharing this piece with others, leaving Kudos, or leaving a constructive or complimentary comment! 
> 
> I love reviews that give genuine feedback. What did you like? What could I work on? (Please PM if you want to point out a spelling mistake so I can fix it without seeing a review saying I need to fix it and always having to go back and check to make sure I did). Reviews full of hate without reason will be ignored. 
> 
> Yours truly,
> 
> Lacy Fairgold

**Author's Note:**

> Seems a ton of people have migrated from Fanficion.net to here, so I decided to move too. I go by Jessica499499 there but I like LacyFairgold better, so I'm going with that for now. This piece and all my other work will be co-posted on that site as well as here. I'm new to this site though, so go easy on me if I mess up a little. 
> 
> Yours truly, 
> 
> Lacy Fairgold


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